Sony Computer Entertainment has announced plans to release a software development kit for PlayStation Suite. Some of you will recall that PlayStation Suite offers games for Sony’s Android products and the upcoming PlayStation Vita. One of Android’s glaring weaknesses is games; due to a wide variety of hardware and mediocre development tools, Android game is several steps behind iOS gaming. A PlayStation Suite SDK is a potentially useful and lucrative tool for mobile game developers and would make Sony’s Android offerings more attractive to consumers.
Here’s more from the press release:
Supporting C# as the programming language, PS Suite SDK can run programs developed in C# on virtual machine equipped on both PS Certified devices and PS Vita. By supporting development for multiple devices and by adopting libraries to create a variety of content not only limited to games, PS Suite SDK will not only help developers save their cost in creating new content but also allow them to efficiently create their content on one SDK and without having to create on several different SDKs.
Through PS Suite, SCE will deploy various measures to supportcontent developersin their business forrapidly prevailing Android based portable devices and will expand the PlayStation entertainment experience on an open operating system.
This is a great move for Sony. If developers take to the SDK then products like the Sony Ericcson Xperia Play, Sony Tablet P, and Sony Tablet S would have a nice differentiator. The Vita would (potentially) also get some nice downloadable games that would satisfy impulse purchases. The Android phone and tablet markets are extremely competitive; a superior gaming experience would help Sony’s Android goods stand out.
Android as a whole needs every gaming initiative it can get. While the next version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, is supposed to bring development tools that address hardware fragmentation and Google has improved the development environment, it’s still considerably behind Apple iOS. As I’ve said in the past, I’ve mostly given up on Android gaming, but all it takes is a good set of tools and talented developers to invigorate the market.
On a side note, I’m surprised that this is even happening. Sony’s numerous departments have rarely played well together. It’s nice to see Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Electronics joining forces for the greater good. Imagine all the amazing things the company could do if its executives didn’t hate each other?!? *snicker*
What do you think of Sony betting on Android with a PlayStation Suite SDK? Will it lead to quality Android games? Or will Android always be behind iOS in terms of gaming?
All I know about this is that the Android Sandwich up there looks delicious. Where can I buy one?
I hope it brings new and better games to Android. Though I doubt it will. I wanted the PS phone a while back, but now it just seems too old and there just aren't enough games for it or use of the the controller.
That phone was outdated when it launched. My sources told me that it was originally supposed to be a late 2010 release. The chipset was dated for a mid-2011 release.